Word to the Wise: Watch Your Mouth!

If our eyes are a “window” to our soul, then our mouth (where words come from) is the “front door” standing wide open inviting everyone to come on in and see what’s inside.  The content of our words (the actual words we use) and the tone of our words (the attitude we use) communicate volumes about who we are and what is in our hearts.  There are times in our home when one of us will speak in a way that is selfish, manipulative, rude, argumentative, unkind, or cruel.  In moments when I have heard enough, and my effort to get them to speak differently failed, I have attempted to video record their words.   I literally want them to “watch their mouth” so that they can SEE with their own eyes what they are saying and how they are saying it.  Almost every time I have tried, as soon as I hit the record button they stop talking or put a smile on their face.  They don’t want their words to be recorded.  Do the words that come out of our mouths’ reveal what is deep down inside our heart?

READ:  Proverbs 18:4

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Watch your MOUTH!  The words that come out of our mouths reveal the deep inner nature of who we really are (Mt. 12:33-37; Lk. 6:43-45).  It is important for us to realize the power of the words that come out of our mouths.  Every word that comes out of our mouth has the potential to heal or injure, to encourage or ridicule, to lift up or tear down, to honor or disrespect, to build trust or to breed doubt, and ultimately to bring life or death.  When we speak, what words should be coming out of our mouths? 

When we speak, speak WISDOM (Prov. 10:13, 31-32, 15:2, 15:7, 20:15, 22:17-18) – I’ve already defined wisdom as, “knowing and living according to God’s ways”.  Those who are wise are to speak words of this wisdom to others.  In Colossians 1:9-10 Paul prays for Colossian believers, that they would be filled with, “all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, . . . increasing in the knowledge of God.”  When we speak, the content and tone of our words should bring others to a greater understanding of, 1) who God is and 2) what it means to live according to God’s ways!  If we’ve got wisdom, then wisdom will always be on our lips!

When we speak, speak TRUTH (Proverbs 12:19, 20:17, 24:26) – Honesty is a top 10 priority for God.  The ninth commandment says, “you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Ex. 20:16, Dt. 5:20).”  Just like our words come from our deep inner nature, God speaks out of His deep inner nature as well.  Titus 1:2 says that, “God never lies”, while Hebrews 6:18 says that it is, “impossible for (Him) to lie.”  It is hard at times, but being honest and speaking the truth is ALWAYS the right thing.  A lie may temporarily cover up our mistakes or shortcomings, but it will also steal any peace and contentment we possess.  Our words must be true!

When we speak, speak with RESTRAINT (Proverbs 10:19, 13:3, 15:28, 17:28, 21:23) – If there is one cliché that I remember my father saying growing up it was, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all”.  Whether my dad realized it or not, that is wisdom paraphrased straight out of the book of Proverbs.  James 1:19 says, “let every person be quick to hear, (and) slow to speak.”  Before we speak, we must pause and give careful thought to what we allow to come out of our mouths.  Ephesians 4:29 says, “let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”  If the words our heart is telling our mouth to speak are not going to build another person up we would be wise to restrain ourselves and remain silent. 

CONCLUSION:

Every written author uses an editor to help correct their grammar, spelling, punctuation, and content before it is printed and viewed by the public.  Just like a written author needs an editor, all of us are desperately in need of an “editor” who can help us correct the content and the tone of the words we speak before they come out of our mouths.  The editor of our spoken words is the Holy Spirit!  He is available to “watch our mouth” for us and help us speak with wisdom, honesty, and restraint when necessary.  

Word To The Wise: Pay Attention To Your Parents!

What are some of the things that we get tired of hearing our parents’ say?  “Do your homework!”, “Clean your room!”, “Get out of bed, it’s noon!”  Parents are always interfering in our plans, right? “You need to be home by 10pm!”, “You can’t hang out with friends tonight, you’ve already been out 2 times this week!” As we get older our parents’ voice gets even more annoying, right?  As our attitude toward our parents deteriorates we start thinking, “They’re always telling me what to do!”, “I wish they would leave me alone and let me make my own decisions!”  Although these thoughts and feelings are relatively normal and somewhat natural, that does not make them right.  Throughout our lives, we need remain teachable to our parents’ guidance and instruction.  As a child (and we ALL are), how are we supposed to respond to what our parents are trying to teach us?

READ:  Proverbs 1:8, 6:20, 23:22

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Pay attention to your PARENTS!  Whether we realize it, understand it, accept it, and even whether they deserve it or not, our parent’s teaching and instruction are God’s “Plan A” for passing on His commands to us (Dt. 6:1-9).  Being a parent is an extraordinary responsibility and God has given children a pretty clear “job description” when it comes to our relationship with our them . . . Children, 1)  HONOR your father and your mother (Ex. 20:12; Dt. 5:16), 2)  OBEY your father and your mother (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20).  What are some practical ways we can fulfill this “job description” as a child? 

Make your father and mother GLAD and not SORROWFUL (Prov. 10:1, 15:20, 23:25) – I recently illustrated my role as a parent to our son Zachary as a series of road signs which give instructions of where and how to drive his car of life.  Sometimes my instruction is like a sign with a big “thumbs up” which means, “you’re going down the right path, good decision, keep going”.  Other times my instruction is like a sign with a skull and cross bones which means, “don’t go that direction, danger, stop”.  God has given us parents to help us navigate through life and we should deeply value our parents’ “thumbs up” or their “skull and crossbones” instruction.  One simple way to identify if our parents instruction is a “thumbs up” or a “skull and crossbones” is whether or not they have smile on their face or not.  It would be wise of us to read the “signs” of what will make our father and mother happy and do it!

BLESS your father and mother and do not CURSE them (Proverbs 20:20, 30:11) – As young children, we look up to our parents immensely and speak positively about them.  As we get older and witness our parents’ imperfections, we begin to look down on our parents and speak negatively about them.  Blessing our parents means looking up to them with admiration and highly valuing their input in our lives.  Cursing our parents means looking down on them with dislike and devaluing their input in our lives.  We express a blessing or a curse toward our parents by our attitudes, words, and actions.  Cursing parents is a serious issue, in the Old Testament a child who, “curses his father or his mother shall be put to death (Ex. 21:17).”  We may be aware of our parents’ imperfections, that doesn’t give us the right to curse them.  Instead, it would be wise for us to bless them with what God demands that they receive from us . . . genuine honor and obedience. 

RESPECT your father and mother and do not MOCK or SCORN them (Proverbs 30:17) – We’ve probably all heard our parents say, “don’t roll your eyes at me”.  “Rolling” our eyes outwardly expresses an inner attitude of disgust or dislike.  Our eyes also communicate attitudes of mockery (“you’re so stupid”) and scorn (“I’m not going to do that”).  Attitudes of ridicule or rebellion toward our parents are a serious warning signs of a dishonoring and disobedient heart. The consequence of these attitudes is indicative of what needs to happen to the attitudes themselves, they need to be violently removed and replaced with a reverent respect!

CONCLUSION:

Throughout our lives we would be wise to pay attention to our parents.  God expects them to teach and instruct us for a purpose.  Maybe, just maybe, if we are willing to honor and obey our earthly parents’ teaching and instruction we will be willing to honor and obey our heavenly Father’s teaching and instruction!

Word to the Wise: Your Heart Reflects Who You Are!

I am not a big fan of mirrors.  I try to spend as little time in front of a mirror as possible.  I may spend 4 minutes in front of the mirror combing my hair and brushing my teeth, but that is about it.  Whether we like what we see in or not, the mirror gives a perfectly accurate reflection of our physical appearance.  If there are sleep lines on our face, imperfections on our skin, or our hair is out of place, a mirror is going to let us know.  The more time we spend in front of a mirror the more imperfection we see in ourselves (maybe that’s why I don’t spend much time in front of the mirror, I want to remain as ignorant as possible of my imperfections). In the same way that we use a mirror to reflect back to us the physical condition of our face, there is a place we can look into our lives where we can see the spiritual condition of our entire being!

Where in our lives can we look to have our spiritual condition reflected back to us? 

READ:  Proverbs 27:19

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Your HEART reflects who you are!  What is our heart?  How does our heart work? Why is our heart important?  Here are a few important things to understand about what our heart is, how it works, and why it is important . . . 1)  Our heart is the SOURCE of our ACTIONS and our BEING (Mt. 12:34-35, 15:19, 6:21; Mk 7:21-23; Lk. 6:45), 2)  Our heart is where God LOOKS into our lives (1 Samuel 16:7), 3)  Our hearts CHANGE when we allow God to lead us (Ps. 139:23-24).  Whatever is in your heart is who you are, . . . and that is where God wants to relate with us!

The wise TRUST in the Lord with all their heart (Prov. 3:5-6) – Where does your confidence or security lie?  For some it lies in a relationship (eg, friend, boy/girlfriend).  For some it lies in our abilities or talents (eg sports, music).  For some it lies in their appearance.  Sadly, for most all of us our trust, security, and confidence lies somewhere within ourselves.  Trust in ourselves might work temporarily but it will not give us any long-term confidence or security.  The Lord God is the only one who is worthy of our 100% “trust”, security, or confidence.  Relationships will fail us, our abilities and talents will come up short, our appearance will fade, but trusting in the Lord with ALL of our heart will make our path we are walking in life straight.

The wise are TESTED by the Lord in their heart (Proverbs 17:3) – A crucible or a furnace is used to heat gold or silver in order to remove “dross”.  Dross is a useless impurity within gold or silver that is removed when it is refined or purified with intense heat.  Dross is worthless and its presence in gold or silver diminishes its value.  You and I have worthless impurity in our hearts that needs to be removed.  Just like a crucible or furnace is used to refine gold and silver, God tests our hearts by applying “heat” to our lives in order to remove impurity so that only what is valuable remains.  God’s testing of our lives may be painful, but the end result is something more beautiful than gold and more valuable than silver!

The wise are to KEEP their heart (Proverbs 4:23) – There are many things that we will defend or protect with our lives . . . our family, our possessions, our reputation, our country, our rights.  We will physically and emotionally fight to protect these things because we do not want them to be exposed to danger.  In the NIV Prov. 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  If there is one thing that is worthy of shielding in order to keep safe, guarded, and protected, it is our heart!  We must “keep our heart” because God knows that any evil that we intentionally or casually allow into our lives can take our hearts hostage and make a permanent impression inside of us.

CONCLUSION:

What place does Jesus Christ have in your heart?  1 Peter 3:15 says, “in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord”.  Jesus Christ must FILL our hearts, He must be given 100% rule and reign over our hearts which will result in a transformation of our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions. If Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives and He is living in and through us . . . the reflection of our hearts will be beautiful!!!

Word to the Wise: Fear The Lord First

First things first!  There is always a proper order in which things should be done.  A prerequisite (pre-requirement) is something that is required as a prior condition in order for something else to happen.  Very simply, a prerequisite is something that must be done first at the beginning of a process.  We experience a number of prerequisites in life.  After school, finishing our homework is a prerequisite before getting to watch TV or play on the computer.  At supper, eating vegetables is a prerequisite before getting dessert.  In school, completing certain classes is a prerequisite before moving on to the next subject.  If we do not fulfill a prerequisite, we are not allowed enjoy or experience whatever follows.  Prerequisites are not optional, they cannot be skipped over, they must be done first!

So, when it comes to obtaining wisdom, are there any prerequisites? What comes first? 

READ:  Proverbs 1:7, 9:10

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  FEAR the LORD First!  What is the fear of the Lord?  The “fear of the Lord” is a deeply profound REVERENCE and RESPECT for God.  The fear of the Lord is THE mandatory prerequisite before obtaining wisdom!  In the process of obtaining wisdom, the necessary place to begin is with the proper reverence and respect for God.  Before we try to apply any individual proverb to our lives we must fear the Lord.  Fearing the Lord is essential in our pursuit of wisdom, it is the required starting place if we are going to obtain and live a life of wisdom.  Thus, the opposite is true, if we do no fear the Lord, our lives will be void of any godly wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is our MOTIVATION to turn away from EVIL (Prov. 3:7, 8:13, 16:6) – I want my children to have a healthy fear of me . . . not just the possibility of discipline.  I want my integrity and character to influence what good my children decide to do and what evil they decide to avoid.   I want my children to have such a deep reverence and respect for the way I conduct my life that it motivates them to imitate me.  God is the only one who is deserving of reverence and respect, He is holy and His character is perfect.  A healthy fear of the Lord will help us to “turn away from evil”.  What we know and understand about the character of God will be a holy incentive to say “no” to the things that contradict with what we admire about His character.

The fear of the Lord provides CONFIDENCE (Proverbs 14:26) – Our culture teaches us that our confidence (or lack thereof) comes from our self-esteem . . . either our positive or negative view of ourselves.  This way of thinking says that we will experience as much (or as little) confidence as we trust in our own talents and abilities.  The problem is talents and abilities are extremely limited.  We will continually lose confidence because we will continually fail ourselves.  The only way to maintain an unfluctuating, unswerving “strong confidence” is by fearing the Lord.  When we fear the Lord we are not trusting in ourselves, but the One who is able to provide us with whatever confidence we need in any and every situation.

The fear of the Lord brings BLESSING and REWARD (Proverbs 22:4, 28:14) – In our house, allowance is a reward for doing chores and keeping rooms clean.  I’m pretty confident that most weeks allowance is the only reason any work gets done at all!  We are motivated by reward and blessing.  God “rewards” those who fear Him with riches, honor, and life, and He “blesses” those who always revere and respect Him.  Pursing the reward or blessing cannot be what is first, but it is a benefit for those who have feared the Lord first.

CONCLUSION:

Make no mistake about what should be first in our lives . . . the fear of the Lord.  HE is to be our prerequisite before everything else.  In answering a lawyer’s question about what the most important commandment in the Old Testament Jesus answered in Matthew 22:37, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.”  According to Jesus, loving the Lord is the prerequisite before a single one of His commandments.  It’s pretty clear, God requires HIMSELF to be first in our lives!

Word To The Wise: Avoid The Way of Wickedness!

Popular culture is a barometer of the moral values of our society.  The most recent public display of popular culture was provided for us by Miley Cyrus’ performance at the MTV VMA’s.   From some of what I’ve seen and read, it would be an understatement to say that her performance was extremely inappropriate.  According to an article written just 5 years ago by CPYU when Miley was 15, she grew up in a Christian home and that she was a, “grounded, authentic, humble kid who has not let fame and fortune get the best of her”, and that she is, “one of the best role models out there for the emerging generations and is a shining light on a dark industry.”  It appears that Miley, when she came to the fork in the road, chose not to pursue the path of righteousness.

Rather than criticize the path Miley Cyrus’ has chosen, instead we must give serious consideration to whether WE have and are walking down that path with her!  We must take seriously the wickedness in our own lives.

READ:  Proverbs 4:14

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Avoid the way of WICKEDNESS!  What is the way of wickedness?  The “way of wickedness” is living life as a willing participant in evil and sin.  Wickedness is living life and making choices that are contrary to God’s perfect design for all things in life.

The way of the wicked is DEEP DARKNESS (Prov. 4:19) – One of the highlights of our annual student ministry fall retreat is the night walk.  During the night walk our group walks on a path through the woods at night in the pitch dark.  No flashlights or anything to illuminate our path.  Without light, students yell and scream at the unexpected sounds and terrain that they experience along the way.  It is a relief at the end of the walk when we get closer to the main camp and our path begins to be illuminated by the lights of the camp.  The way of the wicked is “deep darkness”.  By participating in evil and sin we flip off the light switch of God and His truth in our lives. Without the light of God and His truth we will stumble around in the darkness, oblivious to the dangerous consequences of our wicked words, attitudes and actions.

The way of the wicked is an ABOMINATION to the Lord (Proverbs 15:8, *9, 26, 21:27) – God loves everybody, right?  Yes, true, but at the same time God is a harsh opponent of evil and sin.  God has a holy hatred for sin and a righteous indignation for wrong.  Wickedness, evil, and sin are an “abomination” to the Lord.  Habakkuk 1:13 says that God’s eyes are too pure to “see evil” or to even “look at wrong”.  And it is not just the evil and sin itself that is an abomination, but the person who willingly participates in it.  With evil and wickedness in our lives, WE are the abomination! 

The way of the wicked leads to DESTRUCTION (Prov. 10:27, *14:11, 21:12) – Every action movie has a scene where the evil villain is defeated or destroyed.  Whether it’s Loki being defeated by the Avengers or Emperor Palpatine being destroyed by Darth Vader, we cheer and experience relief when the wicked are defeated and justice is executed.  Why would we expect any less of a response from a holy and righteous God toward the wicked!?!  We want a just response from God, we just don’t like to think of ourselves as the ones who are wicked and deserving of destruction.  And yet, without Christ, we are enemies of God and will receive just punishment for living our lives on the way of wickedness (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:1-4).  

CONCLUSION:

Proverbs warns us to stay away from the way of wickedness.  In Matthew 7:13 in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that, “the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction.”  According to Jesus there are two ways you can identify the way of wickedness . . . it is wide and it is easy!  The way of wickedness will be attractive because it popular, well-traveled, and free of resistance, suffering or difficulty, but at the end of the path there is destruction.  No matter how attractive the way of wickedness might appear, we would all be wise to avoid it and instead enter the path or righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ!

Word To The Wise: Pursue The Path of Righteousness

In August 2013 my wife Marianne and I went on a vacation in Fort Payne, Alabama.  We had no money, so we spent our days together enjoying the beauty of God’s creation at a few state parks in the area.  The first day we went on a hike through the Little River Canyon National Preserve.  We hiked on paths along the river canyon with waterfalls and whitewater.  Throughout the hike there were forks in the path and we had to decide which way to go.  Often, the paths looked similar, if not identical, making the decision which path to take difficult.

The book of Proverbs describes life as a walk on a path.  There will be one specific fork in the path and a choice must be made which path we will take.  Proverbs reduces the paths we can choose from in life to two options . . . the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness.  The “righteous” and the “wicked” are contrasted in 49 different verses in Proverbs.  It’s pretty clear from Proverbs that the paths of righteousness and wickedness go in completely opposite directions and ultimately end up in two completely different destinations.  They are both clearly marked throughout Scripture, but it’s easy to get deceived into making the wrong choice.  Which path do you think that wisdom would have us choose?

READ:  Proverbs 12:28

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Pursue the path of RIGHTEOUSNESS!  What is the path of righteousness?  The “path of righteousness” is living life in right relationship with GOD and right relationship with OTHERS.  Righteousness is living life and making choices according to God’s perfect design for all things in life.

The path of righteousness is WELL LIT (Prov. 4:18) – A sunrise is beautiful!  I don’t see them very often, but it is beautiful to see the world gradually transition from the darkness of night to the full light of day.  Living life is much easier with the light of the sun because we can see clearly and we are not hindered by the darkness.  Walking on the path of righteousness in life is like walking in the light of “full day”.  It’s bright and we can see clearly what we are doing in life.  What is the source of light that illuminates the path of righteousness?  A righteous life is illuminated by the truth of God and His Word (Ps. 119:105).  God’s truth and His Word are the like the light of the sun guiding our steps and leading us on the path of righteousness.

The path of righteousness is SAFE (Prov. 18:10) – Medieval civilizations built huge castles and towers in order to protect themselves from attacking enemies.  The stone walls were built deep into the ground, tall in the air, and thick so that no one could go under, over, or through them.  The immense walls kept them safe.  There are a multitude of dangerous enemies on the path of life, but the righteous are kept safe by the “name of the Lord”.  It is the Lord Himself who is our strong protector who keeps us safe in life.  Choosing the path of righteousness provides a God-sized shield of invincibility (Ps 118:19-20)!

The path of righteousness leads to LIFE (Proverbs 11:19, 12:28, *21:21) – What is the meaning of life?  That is a question that everyone is looking to answer.  Answering that question gives us a framework from which to live our lives and find the joy and happiness we are looking for.  There are those who would say that “whatever” path we choose to walk in life is the right one, . . . whatever makes us happy.  According to the book of Proverbs, true life can only be found on the path of righteousness.  True life is found when we pursue righteousness and live in right relationship with God and others, there is no other path that will truly satisfy.

CONCLUSION:

How do we get on the path of righteousness? Do we obtain righteousness simply by making right choices?  NO!  Romans 3:10-23 says, “none is righteous, no, not one”, but instead we gain, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” Getting on the path of righteousness begins with a choice to acknowledge our wickedness and put faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.  Word to the Wise . . . Pursue the path of righteousness by believing in Jesus Christ!

Word To The Wise: Don't Be A Fool!

Do you remember Mr. T?  Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B.A. Baracus in the 1980s TV series The A-Team, boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and his appearances as a professional wrestler in the WWF.  If there is one thing that Mr. T was famous for it was one phrase, “I pity the fool”!  Mr. T would say, “I pity the fool” to anyone who said or did anything that he thought was deserving of a whoopin’.  When Mr. T said, “I pity the fool” it was a warning to them that he was coming to punch their lights out.

The book of Proverbs expresses pity for the fool as well.  Foolishness is referred to 73 times in the book of Proverbs as a warning of the kind of person we do not want to be.  Foolishness is the opposite of wisdom.  Another term used to describe the foolish in Proverbs are the  “simple”. So, if wisdom is knowing and living life according to God’s way, what does it mean to be a fool?  A fool is someone who lives life INDEPENDENT of God’s way and arrogantly ignores wisdom.  God “pities the fool” who lives life in such a way!

READ:  Proverbs 1:7, 22

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs (and Mr. T):  Don’t be a FOOL!  The wise pursue wisdom and instruction whereas fools “despise it”.  The wise pursue knowledge, whereas fools “hate it”.  Fools are characterized by a few things that we need to be aware of . . .

Fools are right in their OWN EYES (Prov. *12:15, 18:2, *28:26) – Do you find it easy or hard to admit when you are wrong?  HARD!  Having difficulty admitting we are wrong is a sign of foolishness in our lives because fools are always “right in their own eyes”.  A fool selfishly finds “wisdom” in their own personal thoughts and ideas.  A fool arrogantly denies the possibility that anyone else could have a wise thought or idea outside of themselves.  We will avoid foolishness when we can honestly admit that we are helplessly wrong and God is always right.

Fools are RECKLESS and CARELESS thinkers (Prov. 14:16) – As a parent, the question, “what were you thinking?” enters into my mind a lot.  When I find writing on a wall (or the side of our van) with permanent marker I have to ask, “what were you thinking?”  My mom asked me what I was thinking in college when I decided to jump off a train bridge into river for fun.  A fool is someone who does not put careful thought into their words or actions.  A fool will say and do whatever comes into their minds giving no thought to how reckless or destructive it might be.  We will avoid foolishness when we give first consideration to what God would have us say or do in any and every situation.

Fools ruin their lives with their MOUTH (Prov. *10:14, 15:2, 14, *18:6-7) – Most of us would never consider physically hurting ourselves (although there are those who cut or attempt suicide).  And yet, a fool is guilty of bringing harm upon themselves with some of the words that come out of their mouths.  Cutting and suicide are intentional efforts to cause ourselves pain or death, whereas a fool unintentionally “ruins” their life by using hurtful and destructive words they say to others.  James 3:6 says, “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life.”  We will avoid the destructive consequences of foolishness if we guard the words of our mouths’ closely and speak only with the words and wisdom given to us by God.

CONCLUSION:

No one would want to be pitied by Mr. T!  No one wants to foolish.  And yet, if we are living life independent of God and arrogantly ignoring the godly wisdom of others, according to Proverbs, we are a fool.  A word to the wise, . . . DON’T BE A FOOL!   Let go of your selfish pride and humbly submit your life to knowing and living according to God’s way.